Tuesday, May 30, 2017

‘Hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment,’ Portland mayor says. He’s wrong.; Washington Post, May 30, 2017

Kristine Phillips, Washington Post; ‘Hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment,’ Portland mayor says. He’s wrong."Although the organizers of the rallies have a constitutional right to speak, “hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment,”Wheeler told reporters.But history and precedent are not on Wheeler's side.The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that hate speech, no matter how bigoted or offensive, is free speech.Although certain forms of speech are not protected by the First Amendment, hate speech isn't one of them, Eugene Volokh, a law professor and free speech expert, wrote last month. For it to be banned, experts say, it must rise to the level of threat or harassment."